“Then why don’t you stay?”

Ola Ericson/imagebank.sweden.se

Tyrah Green is majoring in Education Studies at Brown University. She is studying with The Swedish Program for the 2018-2019 academic year.

A fellow Swedish Program student and I strolled through Nordiska Museet on a Sunday afternoon, catching up on the week’s events. I could barely contain my excitement — I had been browsing dance classes, meeting new people, and even starting to feel at home at my internship. I couldn’t imagine going back home in December, I told her.

“Then why don’t you stay?”

Why shouldn’t I stay? I fell in love with Stockholm the moment I arrived, and that love grew with every tunnelbana trip I took, every Swedish lesson I had, and every chokladboll I ate.

Photo courtesy of the author

It did not come without difficulty, however. I recalled a specific incident in a café when I decided to place my order in Swedish. I had spent several minutes coaching myself, practicing each word over and over in my head as I reached the register. And overcome with that fear of looking stupid, I clumsily mumbled my order. The barista, clearly unable to comprehend what I had said, switched to English. I took my latte with a defeated sigh and struggled not to cry.

These moments are not rare for me in Sweden. I have been forced out of my comfort zone every single day, and even through the most unbearably awkward and frustrating situations, I’ve survived and I’ve learned. Stockholm has allowed me to see all the possibilities of who I can be and how I can live. When we limit our world to our hometowns or universities, we lose the infinite possibilities this world has to offer. The world is bigger than Brown, New York, and the United States, and I want to see more of it.

So the moment I got home from Nordiska Museet, I began the process to register for the spring semester. After all, we can all use a little growing, a little adventure, and a little facing our fears.

By Marina Stam, Bowdoin College '19 / My semester in Stockholm was one of many firsts. It was full of new experiences, relationships, and connections that I could never have imagined prior to my arrival in January.

By Sarah Wiggins, Tufts University '17, Stockholm School of Economics '19 / It hadn’t been more than a week into the Swedish Program before I knew I had to come back to Stockholm. There was something about the rhythm of daily life here that spoke to me, and I had to investigate that further.

By Daniel Goldstein, Tufts University '19 / There was no ambiguity about the buildup, the views offered when at the top, or even the speed with which you would eventually fall back to the ground. But even this foresight didn’t prevent the stomach-churning anxiety at the start, the budding adrenaline as you left the safety of the ground, the moment of awe at the peak of ascension, and harness-clinging as you fell.

By Megan Mahoney, Middlebury College '19 / After reflecting on my semester and how I have grown, it is easy for me to pinpoint the impact Swedish culture has had on my life. Sweden has completely empowered me to know that as I woman, I can have it all. There should be no limits to the respect, opportunities, and aspirations I have for myself.

By Kelly McCarthy, Oberlin College '19 / So here I am, on month eight of my time in Sweden. I got my wish and then some; over the last eight months, I have explored more of Sweden than I have even of my home country.